Todd’s Thoughts, July 2018

July 1, 2018

In these troubling times, magnified by our government’s kidnapping, incarceration, and abuse of children, there’s a glimmer of hope. When Attorney General Jeff Sessions attempted to justify this diabolical policy by quoting the Bible, he prompted a swift rebuke from his own church and some of his staunchest fundamentalist supporters. Franklin Graham, son of the late Billy Graham, who has inherited the family business, called it “disgraceful” and “terrible.” Though he still can’t bring himself to blame the Trump Administration directly, Graham’s criticism is better than nothing. More importantly, hundreds of Ministers from Sessions’ own faith have filed a formal complaint against him for, “dissemination of doctrines contrary to the standards of doctrine of the United Methodist Church.” Pope Francis joined U.S. Catholic Bishops in condemning the “zero tolerance” immigration policy, calling it immoral and against Catholic values. All of this, along with protests around the nation, has forced Trump to sign an order ending child separation, though his draconian, racist, evil assault against immigrants continues. More significant than this small victory, however, is that unlike during Nazi Germany, unlike during the U.S. internment of Japanese Americans, unlike during its genocide against our nation’s original inhabitants, this time mainstream religion is standing against such tyranny and oppression, not justifying it. I wish I could say it’s hard to imagine things getting much worse, but it isn’t. Though if they do worsen, it’s good to know mainstream religion may finally be on the right side of history.

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Next Sunday Service

Reason and the Measure of All Things

Rev. Dr. Todd EklofNovember 25 | 9:15 am

Services are held at 9:15 & 11:00 a.m. each Sunday. The ability to reason has long been considered one of the fundamental qualities distinguishing human beings from other animals. While some other animals also demonstrate rudimentary forms of reasoning, and humans don’t always use this power effectively or often enough, learning to reason well could fundamentally transform human relations.